Car chair



July-3, 1928. J. A. DUFFY CAR CHAIR Filed June 17, 1926 4 Sheet s-Sheet1 Afforney JulyB, 1928. 1,676,010

J. A. DUFFY can can:

Filed June 17, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 in van for Q .9/M NM Ailorney Jlily3, 192s. 1,676,010

K J. A. DUFFY CAR CHAIR Filed June 17, "1926 4 Sheets-Sheet Y 3 /12 22 0o 9 9 9 9 1 14%? i 14 r L I I l 1 1 I i i l i 16 l I 17 I l 15 1 G l 16i I I l g l 18 1a I I i F "l 14 14 [22 van for.

' the seat to the other,

Patented July 3, 1928.

UNITED STATES JAMES A. DUFFY, OF FAIRMONT, WEST VIRGINIA.

GAB CHAIR.

Application filed June 17,

This invention relates to car seats and more particularly to car chairswhich'may be rotated on a vertical axis. In interurban cars, motorbusses and other forms of vehicles and public conveyances, the tendency,in recent years, has been to provlde additional comforts for theoccupants and with this fact in view many manufacturers of cars and carchairs have installed a rigid, inclined and upholstered back to what 1sJpgpularly referred to as de luxe chairs.

this type of car chair, whether the seat be designed for double orsingle occupancy, instead of ivoting the back horizontally, so that itmig t be reversed from one side of the entire chair, in-

cluding the back, which is rigidly connected to the seat portion, angleof 180.

There are, however, several problems 1n connection with reversing achair in this manner. Car widths and lengths, as well as the Width andlength of seats, have been is rotated through an more or lessstandardized by manufacturers of cars. The same is true with regard tothe distance between the center-lines of seats, that is, thelongitudinal distance between seats with respect to the length of thecar. Should a chair of the rotary reversible type be rotated abouta'fixed axis suflicient clearance between the side of the car and thechair must be provided to permit the corners of the chair to clear theside of the car. Thus, where double seats are used, it is necessary,since the chairs project some distance from the sides of the car, tosacrifice aisle space. Also, it is necessar to space the chairs fromeach other su ciently to permit the top corners of the inclined backs topass each other and it is evident that the distance between seat centersmust be so fixed that the backs do not touch.

With these problems in View the present invention'has or one of itsobjects the rovision of a vertically pivoted chair which is adapted tofit closely against the side of the car but which mav be rotated about abase or standard, the standard being provided with a cam whichautomatically gives a lateral movement to the chair as the latter isrotated.

It is another object of this invention 'to L provide a mechanism fortilting the chair so that the back of the chair assumes an approximatevertlcal position, thus permitting 1926. Serial No. 116,688.

the backs of adjacent chairs to pass each other. without contact.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the followingdescription taken in connection with the attached drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of a preferred form of chair constructed inaccordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevation similar to Fig. 1, the combined seat and backhaving been rotated through an arc of 90.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a supporting plate to which the car seat isattached.

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the support shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the support shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the chair base, showing a cam for tilting andlaterally displacing the seat.

Fig. 7 is a rear View, partly in section, of the chair base, and

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the chair base. Referring to the drawingsin which like reference characters designate the same parts, the frontedge of the combined seat and back 10 is pivotally secured to asupporting frame 11 preferably by means of hinges 12. On the lower sldeof the seat, and adjacent its rear edge, is provided a triangularlifting or tilting cam 13 which is secured thereto by screws, rivets orthe like. The frame 11 consists of a substantially rectangular plate onone edge of which are secured the hinges 12 and on each being braced byangle bars 22 and cross members 23. Additional angle bars 24 may beprovided for further strengthening the base. Mounted on the base 19 is asubstantially heart-shape cam plate 25 having a flange 26, surroundingapproximately onehalf of the cam. Secured to the frame are stop pieces27 and 28, the function of which will be understood from the operationof the device as described below.

Fastened to the frame in any suitable manner is a bracket 29 to which ishinged or pivoted a foot-lever 30. A bolt or catch 31 is slidably heldby a bracket 32, the lower end of the catch being attached to the lever30 by which it may be depressed. A spring 33 surrounds the catch 31, oneend bearing against the lower end of bracket 32 while the other endabuts a washer 34 on the catch. The washer 34: is held in position by ashoulder adjacent the upper end of the catch. At the side of the frameopposite the catch 31 is fixed a stud 35 projecting above the frame.

Secured to the frame and disposed centrally of the cam plate 25 is abolt 36 which, when the seat supporting plate has been placed on thebase, passes through the slot 17 in the supporting plate. The bolt 36 isprovided with a head 37 which prevents removal of the supporting plateafter the .members have been assembled.

As shown in Fig. 1 the various parts of the chair and base are in theirnormal position, thechair being securely locked to the base by the catch31 and stop piece 27, the latter lying within the recesses 38 in thetilting cam 13. Lugs 39 on the cam 13 rest under the stop piece 28,further locking the chair against tilting movement.

When it is desired to reverse the position of the chair, that is, rotatethe chair through an arc of 180, the foot-lever 30 is depressed, movingthe catch 31 out of the path of the supporting plate 11. As the chair isgiven its initial turning movement the flange 15, abutting the stud 35,forces the supporting plate and chair towards the end opposite of thestud 35. At the same time the cam 13 and lugs 39 disengage the stops 27,28. Further rotation of the chair causes the followers 18 to engage theedge of the cam 25 and the cam 13 to ride up on the bevelled edge(marked as) of the flange 26, the chair being thus tilted to a positionin which the back of the chair is approximately vertical. As the chairapproaches a position opposite its original position the followers 18,engaging the cam 25, draw the chair toward the stud 35 until the otherof the flanges 15 engages the stud 35. In the reversed posi tion of thechair the tilting cam 13 is again locked by the stop pieces 27 and 28and the catch 31 automatically returns to its locking position and locksthe chair.

It will be apparent from the above description that a chair capable ofbeing turned through an angle of 180 without necessarily spacing thechair from the side of the car is provided. The invention also permitscomparatively close spacing of adjacent chairs inasmuch as the chairbacks are automatically tilted to permit the chair backs to clear eachother. The above described chair is simple of construction and easilyoperated, it being only necessary-to depress a foot-lever and start thechair in its turning movement, the lateral displacement of the chairboth from and towards the side of the car being taken care ofautomatically by the cam and cooperating followers.

While apreferred form of the invention has been disclosed it is obviousthat the construction may be so modified as to fall within the scope ofthe appended claims.

What I claim is: o

1. A car chair comprising in combination, a base member, a seat memberrotatably secured to said base member, and means on said members forsimultaneously tilting said seat member about a horizontal axis andimparting a translatory movement to said seat member relatively to saidbase member upon rotation of said seat member.

2. A car chair comprising in combination, a base member, a seat memberrotatably secured to said base member, means on said members forsimultaneously tilting said seat member about a horizontal axis andimparting a translatory movement to said seat member relatively to-saidbase member upon rotation of said seat member, and means on said basemember to prevent tilting and rotation of said seat member when saidseat member is in its normal position.

3. A car chair comprising in combination, a base frame, a seatsupport-ing frame rotatably secured to said base frame, a seat, meansfor hingedly securing said seat to said seat frame adjacent the frontedge of said seat, a

back portion secured to said seat, one of said frames being providedwith a cam member for tilting said seat and said back portion about theaxis of said securing means upon rotation of the supporting frame, andcooperating means on the other of saidframes and said cam member toprevent tilting of the seat when said seat is in its normal position.

4. A car chair comprising in combination,

a base member, a seat member rotatably secured to said base member,follower means on said seat member, a cam on each of said members, oneof said cams cooperating with the 'base member to tilt said seat member

